QuoteProject
I have my own identity ... The whole Michael thing does drive me nuts sometimes because people won't leave it alone. He's bald, I have hair. He's almost 40, I'm 22. Seriously though, I wish people would let it be and let me just be Kobe.
Kobe Bryant
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Kobe Bryant expresses his desire for individuals to recognize him as his own person, separate from the comparison to Michael Jordan.

In this quote, Kobe Bryant emphasizes the importance of individual identity and the frustration that comes from constant comparisons to another figure, specifically Michael Jordan. He highlights key differences between himself and Jordan, such as age and appearance, and expresses a wish for people to acknowledge him as Kobe Bryant, rather than just an extension of someone else's legacy.

Themes

IdentityComparisonSelfIndividualityFrustration

In practice

Example use cases

In a motivational speech about chasing personal dreams.

More from Kobe Bryant

My role is to make sure we're moving in the right direction, getting points, rebounds, steals, assists and providing leadership.
Kobe BryantRead
It doesn't bother me at all. Do I hold any hard feelings? Not at all, ... Life is too short to sit around and hold grudges. I don't hold any whatsoever.
Kobe BryantRead
There's a difference [between taking a charge and flopping]. We all know what flopping is when we see it. The stuff that you see is where guys aren't really getting hit at all and are just flailing around like a fish out of water. That's kind of like, where are your balls at?
Kobe BryantRead
You're my backbone. You're a blessing. You're a piece of my heart. You're the air I breathe. And you're the strongest person I know, and I'm so sorry for having to put you through this and having to put our family through this.
Kobe BryantRead
Michael Jackson? He was something more (than one of my favorite entertainers), a true friend. He wasn't just a genius. Above all, he was a good person, who gave so much. He gave people values, he encouraged them to better themselves all the time. He was far deeper and more authentic than people could see. He was misunderstood too many times
Kobe BryantRead
I don't just try to score. The challenge is elevating my teammates to be able to win a championship.
Kobe BryantRead

Similar quotes

I think, as a kid, turning on the television and seeing that everyone seemed to be wealthy and white made me feel like an outsider, lesser than. I was not wealthy. I was not white.
Jacqueline WoodsonRead
I'm not British. I'm not American. I'm not French. Whatever thing they practise, that is their business. I am an African. I am Rwandese.
Paul KagameRead
I have two passports because I have to have at least one, and I really don't know how I define myself. And I feel that as I get older, I feel very fortunate to have, on paper, a dual nationality.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
I don't really know what feeling Japanese or Haitian or American is supposed to feel like. I just feel like me.
Naomi OsakaRead
My identity is very clear to me now, I am a black woman.
Lena HorneRead
Part of me always felt like the other, the outsider, the observer. My father had two sons with his second wife, who I didn't meet until my late 20s. I was always on the periphery. In Madrid, I was the only Turk in a very international school, so I had to start thinking about identity. All these things affected me.
Elif SafakRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.